This invention relates to a cast for an injured limb.
Plaster and the like casts for supporting and immobilizing limbs remain on the limb for long periods to insure healing. A cast might be applied, for example, to a broken limb to support the bones as they knit and heal. Casts are also used to permit detached ligaments to reattach after corrective surgery. Because the cast remains in place for some time, discomfort can arise due to skin irritations which are inaccessible beneath the cast. This irritation can arise from normal itching which occurs from time to time on the skin. It can be especially irritating due to hair growth if the limb was shaved before application of the cast. Shaving is clinically necessary prior to surgery and is recommended before application of post-surgical as well as other casts.
A device for massaging the skin within a cast, splint, or like support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,659, issued to Hayday. This device comprises a thin, plastic, elongated strip having a plurality of randomly spaced protrusions on one surface and a plurality of rounded indentations inset into the opposite surface. The device is insertable between the skin and cast in a space normally allowed for the flexing of muscles, the breathing of the skin and the circulation of air to dissipate heat.
Casts are typically formed by first enclosing the part of the limb to be immobilized in an absorbent cloth material. A padding such as cotton wool is next applied exteriorly of the cloth and a settable cast forming material is finally applied to the absorbent padding. The cast forming material is typically plaster of Paris or fiberglass. A coarse bandage is usually soaked in the plaster of Paris and wrapped about the padding to set with time and form the cast.
The cast must be sufficiently snug to immobilize the limb but loose enough to allow flexing of musculature in the immobilized area. Serious injury can result if the cast is applied too tightly. This can limit blood circulation in the affected area and cause permanent injury. Since the immobilized limb is enclosed, natural "breathing" of the epidermis cannot occur. Natural desquamation in which the outer epidermal layers are sloughed off from time to time is also inhibited. A build up of epidermal layers in the enclosed skin results. These factors exacerbate itching and irritation. Although patients do resort to the introduction of objects beneath the cast in an effort to alleviate irritation, most physicians strongly advise against this practice, recommending that the patient simply endures the discomfort. These foreign objects are not sterile, and can abrade or pierce the skin, resulting in infection.
Further, although a rigid object can sometimes reach an irritated area, this is not always possible. Areas can be inaccessible because of the configuration of the immobilized limb. In a cast for the entire arm, the forearm is generally immobilized at right angles to the upper arm. A rigid object can be introduced to scratch the forearm or regions of the upper arm but the elbow is typically inaccessible. In full leg casts, areas can be inaccessible simply because of the length of the cast. Even in shorter casts, it is difficult to remove epithelial cells sloughed off the skin or cast particles which result from normal deterioration of the cast with time.
It is accordingly desirable to provide a cast with which the above disadvantages associated with known arrangements are avoided or at least minimized.